M. Galloway

The Ratt did not take the cheese

Revisado: 11-02-24

I agree with many of the other reviewers that if you followed Ratt over the years, you probably know most of the story. I kind of fell off the train in the early 90s due to personal reasons and moving around a bit, so this book fills in some holes of those 90s years and beyond. It would be a stretch to say that there’s any meat or details here. The author just hits the high points of Rattistory.

Things that I found distracting were the overuse of the words like “circa” and parts of the audio recording dip in volume where edits may have been made in post-production.

The book does not really tell a story instead it is book a long series of quotes from previous interviews and other articles with little analysis.

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An Honest and human look at a legend

Revisado: 08-31-24

The author gives an honest account of Admiral Bill Halsey. There is no smoke and mirrors here, all triumphs are treated the same as failures; mistakes revealed just like successes. There is always more to the story but this book may have captured it all.

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Probably a good book for the right audience

Revisado: 03-17-24

As the title of my review, suggest I was not the right audience for this book. I bought it based on the recommendation from someone else months ago by the time I got around to listening to it and got a few chapters in. I realized that it was the wrong book for me. However, it was too late to return it, so I sucked it up and went to the finish. To be honest it was a little painful.

In some chapters the author has a number of formulas and equations which do not translate well to audiobook format when read out. Other times, the author seemed to repeat multiple antidotes or background stories telling the same information from previous parts of the book.

I came into this as a very receptive to the ideas and point of the book. And I believe the right audience of people in the same girls as the author would appreciate this more than I did. So it’s not like I wanted to hate the book but it basically made me feel dumber after all was said and done. I am just happy that it’s over.

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Damn the torpedoes full reading ahead

Revisado: 10-12-23

Simply put- this is a fantastic book. The author successfully manages to dig into each of the four Admirals life stories by dividing their lives into stages. Sometimes this method could be confusing when you jump around from subject to subject but the author handles this perfectly. Some of the event’s described, whether - Leahy drafting national policy, Nimitz dealing with a run aground ship, Halsey having a conversation with MacArthur, or King’s experience as a midshipman during the Spanish-American war - you feel as if you might be there. This all too short book covers some of the most fascinating history of the United States with a focus on four men critical to how we got to where we are today. A must read (or listen) for any American Sailor or student of history.

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Exhausting but informative

Revisado: 05-28-23

My hope was that this would explain in more detail on the code makers who made the codes, clerks who used them, and the the code breakers who broke the codes. In a book with “Venona” would have liked more detail on the step by step process on breaking the code. Instead there are hundreds of names and connections to other names and organizations. Each of which comes with background information and quotes from interviews and testimonies. Following this without a chart showing all the personalities, events, and groups along with a timeline makes this an exhausting experience. There is a lot of good information here and I would have read/listened to this material either way, but I think this book missed the mark. I could not wait for this one to end.

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Elizabeth Friedman- the real wonderwoman

Revisado: 01-12-23

My only negative comment is that I am not a fan of the narrator. Everything else about this book is fantastic. The author realized that one cannot tell the story of Elizabeth without telling the story of William. The two are so intertwined that it is almost impossible to separate their stories. Yet the author is able to highlight her professional and personal achievements while also showing how she supported William and he, her.

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Did ya know?

Revisado: 12-30-22

Overall I enjoy Mr. Ayoade-should be the next Doctor Who but what do I know? I’m not a old fat producer with a casting couch… but I digress. I was driving in heavy traffic during the “did you know” segment and it made me want to swerve into the opposite lane into oncoming traffic. Better to listen in a calm place with a soothing beverage.

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It’s a book about nothing

Revisado: 12-08-22

The pros: the author is an astute observer of people and makes many interesting connections to Seinfeld personalities or moments. While listening to the audiobook I was reminded of many great Seinfeld episodes that had me running back to watch them on Netflix. Cons: the author thinks he is much funnier than he is. He also uses a lot of time (space) on lists of cutesy couple names, favorite episodes, yadda, yadda, yadda… overall the book is ok for a short road-trip but probably won’t find its way on your top 10 list.

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A good start

Revisado: 07-17-22

Unfortunately since i listened to this book mostly while walking the dog through the woods, some of this went over my head. Due to the numerous call outs to included pdfs, charts, and websites I did not get a chance to “see” any visual aides or references. For visual learners, I’d recommend the hard copy book. Others the narrator’s pacing and tone made this a very easy book to listen to.

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Engaging. Keep reminding yourself this is a true story.

Revisado: 09-20-21

This audiobook written by the subject of the book, gives an accounting for how brutal the Soviets were. The pacing and style put you in the mind of Mr. Herman as he was living through a personal hell.

The author, Herman, left the United States as a 16 year old to join his family at a Ford plant in 1930s Russia. He did not leave when he could have and unfortunately was swept up in Stalin’s purges.

Herman was sent to a prison, then the gulag, and later in exile to Siberia. All along he experienced the worst of the Soviet system and the best of the Russian and Siberian people.

He kept living. Eventually marrying and having two daughters all while hearing a low chant “America…America…America…) in his head.

Never giving up he finally made it home after 45 years.

If you ever think communism or full on socialism is the way to go, invest a few hours to read Victor Herman’s story. You’ll probably come away with more than a few doubts.

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